
Released in January 2023, Lotus was the fifth map introduced to Valorant by Riot Games. Inspired by Indiana Jones and ancient cities, the map is fun, but not without its challenges, including narrow streets, tight corners, and other obstacles.
Choosing the right Initiator is essential if you want to navigate this map effectively. Moreover, you need to be ready for close-quarters combat and other challenges that Lotus presents. To help you with that, here are the top 5 Valorant initiators to play on Lotus.
To select the best initiators to play on Lotus, we first have to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the game’s 9th map.
“Initiator” is one of the four roles that agents are assigned in Valorant. The role of an initiator is to clear enemies out of their hiding spots for the rest of the team to take out. Naturally, this is a crucial agent role for the Lotus map due to its unique features.
The Lotus map is favored by pro esports players, so you will see it a lot on live streams on Valorant betting sites. Today, however, our focus is on helping you to play - so without further ado, here’s a detailed look at the top five initiators:
➡️ Initiator | 🌍 Origin | 💡 Basic Abilities | 👍 Signature Ability | 📝 Ultimate Ability |
---|---|---|---|---|
Breach | Sweden | Aftershock, Flashpoint | Fault Line | Rolling Thunder |
Fade | Türkiye | Prowler, Seize | Haunt | Nightfall |
KAY/O | Alternate Timeline | FRAG/ment, FLASH/drive | ZERO/point | NULL/cmd |
Sova | Russia | Owl Drone, Shock Bolt | Recon Bolt | Hunter’s Fury |
Skye | Australia | Regrowth, Trailblazer | Guiding Light | Seekers |
Top of the pile we have the Swedish initiator, Breach. All of his abilities can help you to overcome the Lotus map’s challenges in some way.
His basic abilities (Aftershock and Flashpoint) can help to clear out opponents in close quarters and tight angles. Meanwhile, Faultline (Signature) can stun opposition players and Rolling Thunder (Ultimate) works across all three sites on the map.
Navigating the tight corners, narrow lanes, and awkward doors are the three biggest challenges of Lotus. With Fade’s prowlers, you can help to clear the way and create diversions for following teammates.
When it comes to attacking and retakes, Nightfall (Fade’s signature ability) is a strong asset and works across all three sites. She falls just short of the #1 spot because her Haunt ability is very ineffective on Lotus.
The reason that KAY/O makes this list is almost solely down to one thing - ZERO/point. This is his Signature ability that takes the form of a suppression blade.
This is the best ability that you can use against Killyjoy, the most powerful sentinel on Lotus. It also works through walls, which is handy on this maze of a map.
Sova could probably make the top five for every map thanks to the Owl Drone alone, which is always easy for teammates to follow. Additionally, the Shock Bolt and Recon Bolt are helpful on this map, as they can clear out Lotus’ notorious tight spaces.
Why doesn’t he rank higher? Sova generally works better at long-range than close quarters, which isn’t ideal for Lotus.
Skye’s Guiding Light signature ability works very well in Lotus. In particular, it can help the team in the A and C Mains, where the sightlines are more open than elsewhere on the map.
Her Trailblazer ability is also useful on Lotus, but it is relatively easy for opposition players to destroy. Fade’s Prowler’s works better in practice, which is why Skye makes our list, but only at number five.
Do you agree with our definitive list of the top 5 initiators to play on Lotus? Try them out next time you play Valorant and let us know what you think!
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